With the release of iOS 8, Apple made some great additions and updates to its camera app.
In particular, 3 new features are of particular note, really pushing the iPhone’s camera forward in terms of capability and use. Here’s a brief look at those features, and a quick guide to getting started with them!
The first feature you might have noticed is Time-Lapse. Time-Lapse is available for selection in the same manner as your slow-mo and video settings. From your camera app, swipe all the way to the left to enter Time-Lapse mode.
As you can imagine, Time-Lapse takes a long video and condenses it into a high-speed slideshow. This kind of feature is a nifty edition, it’s a fun tool to play around with, and I’m sure with a little practice and a bit of time well-spent, Time-Lapse might be used to create some incredible video artwork.
The second feature to note is the new shutter timer. When taking pictures in both Photo and Square Mode, you’ll notice the addition of a small clock at the top of the screen, located between the HDR setting and you camera-selection tool.
The shutter timer has two settings, 3 seconds and 10 seconds. Each will give you the specified amount of time to set up your perfect photo. Much like Time-Lapse, some practice and care can again make this simple and common feature and awesome photography tool, producing great shots.
Shutter delay gives Mr Quack all the time he needs to pull his perfect duck pose.
The final feature to note in the iOS 8 camera update is a little more specialised, and also somewhat harder to master. Manual exposure controls are now available when taking pictures, giving you total manual control of the amount of light allowed into your camera’s lens. It’s accessed through your auto-focus, so pay attention.
Tapping on the screen will bring up your auto-focus box, and also a small sunshine icon, this is your exposure control. Whilst the icon remains, you can swipe up and down (gently) to control exposure, up is more, down is less.
Effects are instant so leave your finger on the icon as you adjust, giving you time to set up your perfect exposure level. This is the only feature that requires a little more care and attention, but once you get the hang of it increasing light levels can really make a different to your photography!
So there you have it, 3 new awesome camera updates available in iOS 8, currently in developer previews and available to the public this fall. Do you like them? Which will you use? Leave all your thoughts and comments below
